


When You Call My Name

by renjunsmilk



Category: ASTRO (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Ghosts, Light Angst, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-28
Updated: 2020-05-28
Packaged: 2021-03-02 22:28:08
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,309
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24404311
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/renjunsmilk/pseuds/renjunsmilk
Summary: He was a monster under Dongmin's bed.
Relationships: Lee Dongmin | Cha Eunwoo/Moon Bin
Comments: 2
Kudos: 37





	When You Call My Name

**Author's Note:**

> for pearl (@vocalistminhyuk)

The moon has replaced the sun. Tonight, it hangs up in the sky in its most beautiful form. Dongmin knows. He knows and had been waiting for this.

He turns the lights off, lights up a candle, and sets himself ready for sleep. Except, he's not planning to sleep. For the past years, whenever the moon is full and prettily smiling at him, Dongmin's house becomes ironically vulnerable and a voice calls out to him. He can never tell if it's asking for help, or simply a friend. The five year old Dongmin would have jumped out of bed and ran his cold feet off to his parents' room. But he is twenty-three now, and living on his own.

The first time he had heard the voice, he was terrified on his bed covered in full white sheets. He tried to close his ears, but the voice tried harder. To be heard. And so, he listened.

After weeks and months of being reluctant to the voice, Dongmin has mustered all his courage to finally entertain its calls. He figures he can only see it when he's ready.

His hands and feet are cold. He can't even fathom the thought of meeting the monster under his bed. What does it look? Is it scary? Or is it huge? He hopes the opposite of the latter question.

He huffs, a ball of air escaping his mouth. It was truly a cold evening, like the other nights where the full moon was present in the sky. Standing a little to the side of his bed, he reaches out to the wooden closet to fish for a pair of socks and gloves. In a second, he had donned all of the clothings at once, not even realizing how he managed to do so.

When he feels safer than cold, he sits on his bed like a pretzel. And waits.

Not long after, a whisper creeps up into his two ears, he shivers at the contact of the wind to every bit of his skin. But the words were never clear, so Dongmin tilts his head to the side in high hopes to decipher the words of the hushed voice.

_"Why aren't you going to sleep?"_

"What do you think? I was waiting for you." Dongmin forces a smile. Is it too late to back off, he wonders.

He wishes he was dreaming, but he's not. And as he looks to the candle on his left, a silhouette colors itself from the yellow and orange hues of the flame.

A boy appears right before his eyes, he was pale, close to yellow, like the candle that died of the presence of the said boy. Dongmin hates to admit it, but even with the absence of light, the room hasn't completely became dark.

It's the boy. He brings illumination to the whole place.

"It's warm?" Dongmin comments in a surprised tone. He holds up his hands to his face, and the boy's lips form into an upward cresent 

_"You were always cold when I'm here. I figured maybe you didn't like that."_

Dongmin softens at the concern the boy had shown him. He lowers down his shoulders to release the unnecessary tension, "What's your name?"

The boy sits on Dongmin's overused computer chair, _"Ah, I missed being asked what my name was. Wait, this chair can turn around?"_ The boy's attention shifted from Dongmin to his chair. He twirls on it, happily ignoring the fact that Dongmin is getting dizzy on his behalf. Dongmin laughs at his jovial expression anyway.

He almost never wants to stop him.

"You didn't answer my question, though." Dongmin reminds him, regardless.

The boy stops twirling, his back facing Dongmin however, _"Can I tell you a little later instead?"_

Dongmin had become confused at the sudden rise of tension that radiated from the boy's tone, "Okay."

_"I kind of wish you never had the courage to talk to me."_

He grew more confused, but he didn't speak. He knows the boy has more to tell.

_"But it was badly needed, especially by now."_

The boy is facing him now. The smile is back across the pale skin on his face. _"I made this for when you're twenty-five. But you're here two years earlier."_

A simple beaded bracelet clings to the boy's brittle fingers. It was made of artificial pearls. Nevertheless, Dongmin's eyes are growing fond of its brightness.

_"It's such a pitty that I can only see you once in a while, but it's better than nothing right?"_

Dongmin just nods, not seeing where the boy is leading the conversation.

_"I like you. I don't like scaring you. I just like you."_

"You never scared me." Dongmin assures the boy. It's not a lie. The voice was never harsh on him, all it ever did was whisper into his ears at night. Like a sweet lullaby.

 _"Before you moved into my house, this house, I was lonely. I was told by that old grim reaper,"_ the boy lets out a laughter, Dongmin thinks he didn't want to scare him at the mention of the strange being, _"I can only leave this place to the afterlife if a person sees me."_

Dongmin clasps his mouth in shock. "I am seeing you now." He stutters these words out of his lips.

_"Exactly."_

"I am.... sorry."

_"Don't be. Just as long as you have waited for this, me too. It's about time."_

It's unfair, Dongmin thinks. He just wants to help the voice as it always sounded so needy. But he had never thought of being able to help this way.

Oh, how tragic that someone desires to disappear from the realms of this humane world. 

_"Thank you, Dongmin. You made my stay here bearable. When you are asleep, and not aware of the world, I turn to look at you for you help me see myself. And when I feel your breathing, I can't help but feel alive too. But I have been here for so long. I need to go."_

The boy holds out his hand, opening his palm and showing the bracelet once again. _"Take this."_

_"I was expecting for this to happen when you're twenty-five. But I guess it's better when we're not expecting it."_

A tear rolls on Dongmin's cold face, he takes the bracelet. It's even warmer now, "What's your name?"

_"I have grown to love your smile, and your heartbeat. I love you, Dongmin. You can remember me as Bin."_

"Bin," the name echoes inside Dongmin's head, "I love your name."

He looks up at the luminescence of Bin's figure, he is slowly flurrying away, _"That's it. The grim reaper told me I can only move on to what he said was something like paradise when someone I genuinely like calls my name. Thank you, Dongmin."_

Dongmin clutches his chest, why is he scared of losing the voice, that boy. Bin.

He blinks momentarily only to open his eyes to a room brightly lit by the flourescent up the ceiling. The candle was there, unlit. And Dongmin feels his heart aching, but he couldn't bring himself to remember what just happened.

A tear falls again. Dongmin lifts his hand to wipe the tear but only then he realizes he was grasping something inside his palm.

A bracelet. It was strangely beautiful, like made to be expensive. "This is mine?"

He examines the piece of jewelry thoroughly, it has his initials engraved on it. But he misses the letter **_B_** upon flipping it. He places it unharmed atop his bedside table, lighting the candle afterwards. Dongmin covers himself in thick blankets and waits for his eyelids to fall involuntarily.

And when he was deep in his slumber, the _**B**_ on the jewelry lit up the whole room, just like that boy who brought light to his place.

**Author's Note:**

> thank you for reading!


End file.
